


Out of Body Experience

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bodyswap, College Student Liam Dunbar, Denial of Feelings, Derek Hale & Theo Raeken Friendship, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Future Fic, Getting Together, Good Theo Raeken, Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken Endgame, M/M, Matchmaking, Minor Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Minor Liam Dunbar/Hayden Romero, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, Roommates, Slow Burn, The Pack Ships It, Thiam Movie AU Fest, freaky friday AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-01 12:39:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13295076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: Liam and Theo are roommates and get along great. They're best friends. Liam's marrying Hayden. He's happy. At least that's what he tells himself. Theo loves Liam but is willing to let things be as long as Liam's happy. Then suddenly they find themselves trapped in each other's body with a not so cryptic fortune hanging over their heads as the only way to fix things.AKA the Freaky Friday AU no one asked for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LI0NH34RT](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LI0NH34RT/gifts).



> This is going be very loosely based off of Freaky Friday. Some things are from the movie but obviously some things had to be changed.  
> For Day 1 of the Thiam Movie AU Fest: Romantic/Comedy  
> This is also for Janna who wanted a body swap AU. It didn't turn out as humorous as I wanted but I still hope you like it.

“This is ridiculous,” Liam mutters, trailing after Theo as they make their way into the Chinese restaurant. “I don’t see why I had to come with you.”

“As you’ve said the last 10 times you’ve opened your mouth,” Theo says, glaring back at the beta, “but as I told you _10 times before_ as strong as I am I can’t carry all the food your pack is going to scarf down on my own.”

“They’re your pack too,” Liam says, glaring down at his feet. He doesn’t know why he’s picking a fight with Theo. Maybe because it’s easier than admitting he doesn’t actually mind being in his company. That thought sends his mind spiraling other places, places he should not be going.

Picking fights with Theo is the easier route. Once he admits he likes spending time with Theo he starts admitting he likes other things about Theo and then that he might have _feelings_ for him. He can’t go there. He’s engaged. He’s getting married in less than a week. No matter the fact that he doesn’t love Hayden. He cares about her. She’s nice. This is easier. _She deserves better than you marrying her when you’re in love with someone else_ , his traitorous mind supplies.

He’s quick to push that thought away. He does _not_ love Theo. He can’t. Not just because he’s with someone else. That should be the big one. But they’re friends now. They live together, at least temporarily. He doesn’t like to think about what’s going to happen once he’s married. He doesn’t like to imagine a life where he doesn’t have Theo around all the time. Doesn’t wake up to see his smile first thing in the morning as Theo sips his coffee and makes breakfast. He’s in far too deep.

He knows he’s a bit of an asshole. He’d jumped at the chance to get back together with Hayden, not because he was really interested in her, but because he’d hoped it would help him get over Theo. It hadn’t. If anything he’d fallen more in love with Theo all the while trying to keep up this charade that he loves Hayden.

“Liam are you even listening to me?” Theo asks, breaking Liam out of his thoughts.

Liam glares at him, “No I usually try and block out whatever smart ass comments come out of your mouth.”

“What crawled up your ass today?” Theo asks, turning to face him, arms crossed across his chest, “Huh? You’re being even grumpier than usual.”

“Maybe you’re just being even more annoying than usual.”

Theo looks like he’s about to argue but then a man walks up with their food. Theo hadn’t been exaggerating. There is a lot of food. Theo never would have been able to cart this all back to their shared apartment without dropping it.

“Is all this really necessary?” Liam asks, eying the food.

“With the way you all eat, yes. We’ll be lucky if this is enough.”

Liam narrows his eyes, about to respond when suddenly an older lady appears next to them. Liam reels back, startled by her sudden appearance. She just smiles serenely at them, holding out her hand which contains two cookies, “Cookie?”

Liam is about to deny the offer but Theo smiles taking one of the cookies from the lady, “That would be great, thank you.”

“These are special fortunes, for you two only.” The woman says, “You should open them now, to be safe.”

Liam shares a look with Theo, who shrugs and gestures for Liam to open his cookie, speaking low enough that only Liam can hear, “I know you’re in a bad mood but be a good sport.”

Liam rolls his eyes but starts opening the package when Theo does. The woman is watching expectantly as they open their cookies at the same time, reading them out loud.

**_“The object of your heart’s desire is close to being lost. Follow the light to them before it is too late.”_ **

Liam’s eyes widen and he reaches instinctively for Theo when the room gives a sudden shake. It’s over as soon as it starts, leaving both men confused.

“What the hell was that?” Liam asks, glancing at Theo whose face has gone pale. “Theo?”

Theo shakes his head, turning his attention back to Liam, “I don’t know. Can we get out of here though?”

“Yeah of course,” Liam says, moving to take some of the bags. Theo follows his lead.

Theo seems distracted the whole way back to their apartment, shooting glances at Liam every so often before glancing away. What’s even more confusing is the light blush on cheeks.

Liam really isn’t sure what could have Theo behaving so oddly. He’s been like this ever since they read the fortune. Liam’s eyes widen, his heart speeding up. _The fortune,_ Liam thinks, _Theo knows. He’s figured out how I feel and now he’s acting weird._

When Theo looks his way again Liam immediately looks away, feeling his own face heat up. He tries to tell himself to keep it together. Theo might not know. Maybe the fortune itself just embarrassed him.

Liam is grateful they’re almost home. Right now he wants to think about anything but the fortune. It feels far too relevant to his situation and it’s weirding him out. Theo jumps out of the car as soon as it’s off, grabbing his bags and heading into their apartment. Liam follows at a slower pace, not wanting to give away that anything weird happened.

Theo’s in the kitchen when he walks in, talking to Derek who’s grinning at whatever Theo just told him.

“Oh good you’re here,” Stiles says, walking up to him with a grin, “You have my sweet and sour chicken.”

“Good to see you too, Stiles.” Liam says, rolling his eyes when Stiles takes some of the bags from him.

Liam expects things to be weird between him and Theo after the Chinese restaurant but Theo seems fine with pretending like it never happened. He laughs and talks with the pack as they eat dinner and then settle in to play some board games. Everything seems perfectly normal. But Liam can’t help but be worried. He keeps thinking back to the fortune **_“The object of your heart’s desire is close to being lost. Follow the light to them before it is too late.”_ ** and what it means.

He knows most fortunes are bullshit but something felt different about this one. It feels relevant, too relevant to his life. It’s obvious who his heart’s desire is supposed to be. And being lost to him forever could mean his upcoming wedding to Hayden. It’s that last part, the part that tells him to follow the light to Theo before it’s too late, that makes it hard to breathe.

He’s fought so hard to keep his feelings hidden, tamping them down to below the surface. He thought trying the whole out of sight out of mind thing would work. If he didn’t acknowledge the feelings, they weren’t there right? But he was wrong. That became all the more clear when he and Theo moved in together 3 years ago when Liam started college. It was easier. Theo was working and needed a roommate. Liam didn’t want to live on campus. They were best friends by that point. It only made sense.

Except Liam wasn’t ready. He was afraid. His feelings for Theo are far bigger than anything he’s ever felt and that terrifies him. So he did the only thing he could do, he panicked. When Hayden had come to him wanting a fresh start Liam had jumped into the relationship without thinking. She still lived in a different state of course, so they did the long distance thing. Liam found he didn’t mind it. What’s worse is he didn’t really miss her as much as he should. _Not the way you miss Theo when he’s gone_ , his mind supplies like the traitor it is.

Hayden had been the one to propose, saying that she was ready to settle down and make this thing between them more serious. Liam had been stunned into silence before he found himself nodding and agreeing all the while his mind was screaming at him to abort, end things, this isn’t what he really wanted. He hadn’t listened.

Now here he is, about to marry Hayden while still longing for Theo. He has no one but himself to blame for this. He let it all go on too long. His mind drifts back to the fortune again as his eyes land on Theo, who meets his gaze with a curious raise of his eyebrow. Liam shakes his head and looks away. _The fortune doesn’t mean anything_ , Liam tries to tell himself. He doesn’t quite believe it. Something felt off about it, not to mention the strange way the ground had shook when they’d read the fortunes. Something wasn’t right. He had a feeling sooner or later he was going to find out what, whether he wants to or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day! <3  
> The fic is done so I'm going to try to get the chapters out pretty fast.  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going go over Theo's perspective on the day of the switch, with the next chapter being Liam's. And it's a longer one!  
> This has not been beta read so any mistakes are my own. If you see any, please point them out and I'll get them fixed.

Theo yawns, stretching his arms above his head and enjoying the way his muscles relax. He’s still too tired to open his eyes so he relies on his memory to get him to the bathroom. Which fails him. He turns to the left and starts to the bathroom only to be met with a wall. Theo shrugs it off. He’s tired. He could have got his directions mixed up.

Turning the other direction, he heads to the bathroom. He blearily opens his eyes to look in the mirror and reels back, a surprised shout escaping his lips. The face staring back at him isn’t his own but that of Liam Dunbar. _What the hell?_

“Liam!” Theo shouts, brow furrowing when he’s met with the sound of Liam’s voice. He’s not sure why he’s surprised. He _is_ apparently in Liam’s body somehow. It makes sense he would sound like Liam. That doesn’t make it any less unnerving.

Liam doesn’t answer so Theo makes his way into the hallway and across the hall to where Liam is sleeping, in _his_ bed. He stands there for a moment staring down at the sleeping form. Is this what it’s like to have an out of body experience? If so, he doesn’t like it. Because here he is, staring down into his own bed, where his body is still sleeping soundly, but it’s not him sleeping. If he’s right about what’s happened, it’s Liam.

Sighing, Theo leans down to shake Liam awake, “Liam!”

Theo watches as his own eyes snap open, a complaint no doubt about to fall from his lips only to turn into a surprised yell as Liam flails backwards and off the bed, landing with a heap on the floor.

Liam growls and gets to his feet. Theo would find it amusing, watching his own body behave in a manner that is _so_ Liam, if the situation wasn't so serious. He has to fight the urge to roll his eyes when Liam speaks, “What are you? Some sort of shapeshifter?”

Liam frowns, hand going up to his throat as he stares at Theo, “Why do I sound like Theo?”

“Because you’re in my body, you idiot.” Theo says. He sighs and leads Liam into the bathroom, placing him in front of the mirror.

Liam gapes at his reflection, _Theo’s_ reflection, staring back at him. He turns to Theo with wide eyes, an expression Theo isn’t used to seeing on his own face, “What the hell? Theo?”

“In the flesh,” Theo says, throwing his arms wide. He gives a sardonic smirk, which no doubt looks ridiculous on Liam’s face. “Well _your_ flesh, not mine. It appears we’ve swapped bodies.”

“I… what… how?”

“I have no idea,” Theo says, turning around and heading back into his room. He was thinking of changing, only to realize he’s not in his body so none of his clothes will fit him. Crap.

Liam follows him into the room and flops back onto the bed with a groan, “I have to get to class today”

“Liam…” Theo says, staring down at the beta like he’s grown two heads, “You _can’t_ go to class. You look like me.

“I can’t miss another day,” Liam says, “I need to be there. You’ll have to go for me.”

“What? I can’t just go to class for you.”

“I need you to! And it’s not like you can go to work looking like me. We’ll just have to switch for the day.”

As much as Theo hates to admit it Liam has a point. They’re going to have to pose as each other for the day, or until they figure out how to switch back.

“Fine,” Theo sighs, “we’ll pretend to be each other for today. Just try not to get me fired.”

Liam throws a glare in his direction, “As long as you try not to get me kicked out of school.”

“I’ll do my best,” Theo smirks.

“That’s all anyone can hope for.”

Theo looks down at Liam one more time turning to head back towards the bathroom, “I’m going to take a shower.”

“NO!” Liam jumps out of bed and almost falls before grabbing Theo’s arm with too much force. He’s looking at Theo in a mild state of panic. “You can’t shower.”

Theo raises an eyebrow, glancing down at where Liam is still gripping his arm, “Why the hell not?”

“Because you’re in my body!” Liam says, gesturing over at Theo, “If you take a shower you’ll see me naked.”

Theo fights the urge to laugh. This whole thing is ridiculous. Though now that he thinks about it he’s realizing this means Liam’s going to see _him_ naked as well. There’s no avoiding it. “Liam, even if we don’t shower we’re still going to see each other. We’re going to have to change and use the bathroom. It’s not ideal, I know. But we can’t exactly avoid it.”

Theo watches as a warm blush covers his own face. Yet another thing he’s not used to seeing. Liam releases Theo’s arm in favor of rubbing the back of his neck. Theo feels a little weird thinking the gesture is adorable since he’s looking at himself.

Liam takes a deep breath, moving a few steps away from Theo, “Okay. I guess we’ll just have to deal with it.”

“I won’t shower today if it makes you uncomfortable,” Theo says, “but if this lasts more than today it’s going to have to happen. For both of us.”

Liam nods, “Yeah okay.”

Theo changes quickly, deciding to forgo changing his boxers for today to at least give Liam a little bit of modesty. He knows it won’t last long for either of them. The thought that Liam is going to see Theo naked, that he might see Liam naked, sends his pulse thrumming beneath his skin. This is something he’s wanted for years. The fact that it’s going to happen under these circumstances feels like a big “fuck you” from the universe.

He still feels a little uneasy about it all knowing that it’s not something Liam wants. He tells himself he won’t look. He’ll do what he has to do but he’ll keep his eyes focused elsewhere. It’s going to take a lot of self-restraint he knows, but he’s hoping he’ll be able to stick to it. He stands in front of the toilet for what feels like forever but in reality is probably only a few minutes before Liam’s voice sounds from outside the door causing Theo to jump, “If you have to piss just do it. Like you said, it’s unavoidable.”

Theo closes his eyes and does what he has to do, trying not to focus on the fact that he has his hands on Liam’s dick. _Don’t go there Theo_ , he chastises himself. To think that only a few minutes ago he was worried about whether to change his boxers or not. So much for modesty.

Liam is sitting on his own bed when Theo walks out of the bathroom dressed and ready to go. Liam’s changed as well, putting on one of Theo’s favorite shirts and a pair of his dark jeans. He stands up when Theo enters the room, the two of them getting ready to go. They usually ride together in the mornings, Theo dropping Liam off on campus before heading to work. Liam usually gets a ride home from Mason after class or walks the short distance back to their apartment.

“Oh shit,” Liam says, pausing with his hand on the doorknob. When he turns to Theo he looks a little panicked. “I’m supposed to meet Hayden and Lydia after class to finalize wedding details.”

Theo shakes his head before the words have completely left Liam’s mouth, “No.”

“Theo,” Liam pleads. Theo is a little less affected by his pleading face since it’s his own face looking back at him. “Please.”

“No, Liam. It’s one thing to ask me to go to class for you but you can’t expect me to pose as you in front of your fiancé. That’s insane.”

Liam pouts and Theo hates the way it looks on his face. His face should _not_ look that adorable. Damn Liam. “Please? I know we should tell everyone but can we not? Can’t we just figure this out on our own?”

Theo wants to say no. For his own sanity he really should. He can’t sit around with Hayden while pretending to be Liam, going over plans for their wedding. Not when the last thing he wants is for Liam to marry Hayden. That makes him feel selfish. So he sighs, turning away so he doesn’t have to look at Liam. Doesn’t have to see the relief on his own face, “Fine.”

They run into another problem then they reach the truck and both go towards the driver’s side. They turn to glare at each other at the same time.

“What do you think you’re doing Liam?” Theo asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Driving,” Liam says, reaching a hand out expectantly, “Now give me the keys.”

“Why the hell would I do that? This is _my_ truck so _I’m_ driving.”

“It might be your truck but you look like me, remember? So I have to drop you off and then go to work for you.”

Theo hates to admit it but Liam is right. It would look weird if Liam drove himself to campus only for Theo to drive away. Theo reluctantly holds out the keys, only to pull them back before Liam can take them. “If you scratch my truck you’re paying for it.”

“I’m not going to scratch your truck. I know how to drive Theo.” Liam rolls his eyes, taking the keys and shooing Theo away.

It’s a short drive to the campus but Theo still gets bored. He’s not used to being the passenger in his own truck. He goes to reach for the radio but quickly drops his hand when Liam glares. “We’re almost there, Theo. You can last another minute.”

“I’ve never been to college,” Theo says when he sees the campus coming into view. He can see Mason waiting by the big oak tree like he usually does. He suddenly realizes he’s going to have to fool Mason. “Liam I’ve never been to college and I’m supposed to know my way around here. Mason will know.”

Liam parks the car and turns to look at Theo. It’s still weird seeing his own face looking back at him like this. He imagines Liam must feel the same way, “All you have to do is go to class and sit there, maybe take some notes for me so I’m not completely lost when I come back. Though I usually steal Mason’s notes for our Economics class. I hate Economics.”

Theo knows he’s overreacting. He used to be so good at putting on a show and fooling people. But he’s never had to pretend to be someone else before, not like this. Everyone knows Liam so well. One wrong move and everyone will know something is up. He knows Liam too though, knows how he acts, what he likes and doesn’t, knows practically everything about him. He also knows there are things he doesn’t know. Things only he and Mason talk about. If Mason mentions something…

He startles when he feels a hand on his knee and looks up to see himself– no _Liam_ looking back at him concerned, “You’ll be fine, Theo.”

He removes his hand quickly, waving to someone over Theo’s shoulder. Theo looks over to see Mason walking up to the truck. He’s about to open the door when Liam stops him with a hand on his arm, “Don’t forget you’re supposed to meet Hayden and Lydia at 4 at Lydia’s.”

Theo nods. How could he forget? “I know. I’ll be there. You need to get going. I don’t want you to be late.”

They both know Liam has more than enough time to get there. But Liam still nods, moving back across the truck, “Good luck.”

Theo gets out of the truck and walks towards Mason. Mason grins, slaps him on the back, and starts rambling about something Corey did that morning as he leads them towards their first class together. Theo’s at least grateful he doesn’t have to find this one on his own.

He goes to check his phone before remembering he and Liam had to swap phones. It wouldn’t make sense for either of them to have their own phone while posing as the other but he still doesn’t like it.

“You okay man?” Mason asks, breaking Theo out of his thoughts.

Theo does best version of one of Liam’s most apologetic smiles, “Yeah. Just have a lot on my mind I guess.”

“I imagine so,” Mason says, “with the wedding coming up in a few days I can’t blame you.”

Theo tries his best not to grimace. _Right_ , he thinks, _the wedding_. He doesn’t know how he’s supposed to act excited about Liam’s upcoming wedding when that’s the last thing he is. He tries to think back on Liam’s behavior the last few months whenever the topic came up. Strangely enough Liam never really looked all that excited either. He looked tired.

“Yeah it’s the wedding,” Theo says, hoping that will be enough and Mason will drop it.

Today just isn’t his day because Mason stops, turning to face Theo, “I know I’ve asked this before more than once but are you _sure_ marrying Hayden is what you want to do?”

Theo’s confused by the question. Had Liam been having doubts? Should he be reassuring Mason he’s fine with it? God what is he supposed to do? Why did they think it was a good idea to leave the house like this? Liam should be fine. All he has to do is work and go home but Theo is going to be under the watchful eyes of Mason, Lydia, and Hayden all day. This isn’t going to end well.

Then there’s the question. Mason wondering if Liam is sure he wants to marry Hayden. Theo isn’t sure how Liam feels, he knows they loved each other in high school and assumed they still did. They’re engaged after all. They always looked happy whenever they were together. Theo always had to tamp down the jealousy in his gut whenever Hayden’s name came up.

He thinks of Liam’s upcoming wedding and how he agreed to be one of Liam’s groomsmen, standing up with him and watching as Liam marries someone else. He’d have to put on a show, smiling like the best friend he is as the man he loves marries someone else. _I don’t want him to marry her,_ Theo thinks.

“What?” Mason asks, drawing Theo back to reality. He’s looking at Theo, or well _Liam_ in confusion.

“What? I didn’t say anything.” Theo says. He certainly hopes he hadn’t because if he had…

“You just said ‘I don’t want him to marry her’ not I. Who could you be talking about? Do you know someone else that’s getting married?”

He knows Mason knows he doesn’t. He can feel his heart rate speed up as Mason stares at him expectantly. Mason narrows his eyes at him, stepping closer. Theo has to fight not to take a step back. He’s sure the panic he’s feeling is clear on his face. There’s no way he can talk his way out of this one. _He knows. He knows it’s me._

Finally, Mason sighs and takes a step back. “Well, come on Theo. We can’t have Liam missing class.”

“What?” Theo asks as he trails after Mason. His voice comes out in that high pitched way it does whenever Liam gets uncomfortable. His cover might be blown but like hell is he just going to give himself up like that. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Mason snorts, shooting him a look over his shoulder, “Sure you don’t. I know it’s you so you drop the act.”

“How?”

“Dude, Liam’s been my best friend for years. I know him pretty well. It was kind of obvious.”

“Shit,” Theo says, fighting the urge to sigh. He’d told Liam this wasn’t going to work. “Do you think anyone else will figure it out?”

“You mean Hayden?” Mason asks, walking into the classroom and taking a seat towards the back. He gestures to the seat to his left. “Or Lydia? Because Hayden you _might_ be able to fool. Lydia? She’ll see right through you.”

“Not helpful,” Theo mutters, “I have to meet them later to go over wedding details.”

Mason turns to face him, “He’s really making you go? That’s harsh. Then again he is an oblivious idiot.”

Theo doesn’t say anything at first, staring around the classroom and pretending he’s watching as more people filter in. He knows what Mason’s implying, that it’s harsh of Liam to send Theo off to plan his wedding to Hayden when Theo’s in love with him. It would be if Theo thought Liam knew, but Liam doesn’t. There’s no way he does.

“Liam doesn’t know.” The words are said quietly, Theo keeping his gaze turned away from Mason. He feels his stomach churn with the admission. “And you can’t tell him.”

“If he knew…”

“It wouldn’t change anything,” Theo snaps. He regrets his tone immediately. Mason isn’t the one he’s angry at. He sighs and glances over at Mason, “We’re in a good place. He’s my best friend. Telling him won’t achieve anything except by making things awkward between us.”

“Doesn’t it hurt? Seeing him with someone else?” Mason asks.

“Of course it does but I’ll just have to live with it. I just want him to be happy even if that’s with someone else.”

“What if he’s not though?”

Theo growls quietly, “Don’t. Don’t you dare do that.”

Mason doesn’t seem the least fit phased by Theo’s behavior, which just shows how soft he’s gotten. “Why not?”

“Because if he’s not happy but would still rather be with her that makes it worse.”

“Theo…”

The professor thankfully starts class before Mason can finish his sentence. Theo does his best to take notes like Liam asked him too. It’s a history class so Theo knows Liam must be put out about having to miss it. He at least wants him to have something he can use.

“Are you seriously taking notes right now?” Mason asks, quietly enough that only Theo can hear.

Theo shrugs, speaking only a little louder than Mason, not wanting draw attention to them, “Liam asked me to.”

“Whipped.”

He ignores Mason’s whispered comment and goes back to taking notes. He doesn’t care what Mason thinks, or at least that’s what he tells himself. He won’t let himself dwell on it though. That will only lead him places he doesn’t want to go.

The rest of the day goes by smoothly. He goes to Liam’s glasses and has lunch with Mason. Mason thankfully doesn’t try to push Theo into talking about Liam and for that he’s grateful. The little shit still gives him considering looks whenever they’re together which has Theo gritting his teeth so he doesn’t growl at the human. Mason is either unaware or doesn’t care about what he’s putting Theo trough. Theo’s sure it has to be the latter.

Part of him wishes his time on campus could have lasted longer because he’s really not looking forward to meeting Hayden and Lydia. One, he doesn’t want to sit around going over wedding details with the woman that’s marrying what he’s sure is the love of his life. Two, he knows they’re likely to see right through him and figure out he’s not Liam. At least Lydia is. He’s going to have to step up his game if he wants to survive this. He’d let his guard down with Mason after the human had figured out the truth. Now he needs to get back to being Liam and not Theo.

 

As soon as Theo gets to Lydia’s he’s ushered into a seat by an inpatient Lydia who’s already berating him for being late, “I know time doesn’t seem to matter to you but it’s rude to keep people waiting Liam. Especially when we’re finalizing the plans for the most important day of your life.”

 _The most important day of Liam’s life_ , Theo thinks. Liam marrying Hayden is supposed to be the most important day of his life. Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be? The thought still makes him feel as though his blood ran cold and his skin gets clammy. He doesn’t know how he thought he could do this.

“Something wrong Liam?” Hayden asks.

Theo’s mind short circuits for a moment as he tries to think of a response Liam would give. That’s the only excuse he has for why he leans back in his seat, crosses his arms, and tells her, “Guy stuff.”

Hayden eyes Theo curiously, “Guy stuff?”

“Yeah you know…” he makes a vague gesture, “Guy stuff.”

She studies him for a moment before turning back to Lydia, who simply rolls her eyes. Theo counts himself lucky that the two of them don’t seem to want his input all that much today. He’s been through all this wedding planning since the beginning. He’s watched as Hayden has repeatedly changed her mind about everything. Just last week she wasn’t sure if the venue was the right one. It’s all been pretty stressful.

One of the worst moments was when they went to try on their tuxedos. Hayden had insisted Theo witness and offer his opinion on every tux Liam tried on. It would have been fine if she asked Mason, Scott, and Corey as much as she did him but she didn’t. It was the worst kind of torture.

_“What do you think of this color? Doesn’t it bring out his eyes?” “This one fits wonderfully doesn’t it?” “Ooh how about this one Theo? Doesn’t his ass look just delicious?”_

That last one had them both sputtering and blushing for probably different reasons. Theo had wanted to run out of the store and hide. Never mind the fact that Liam’s ass _did_ look great in the suit. The universe must truly hate him because that’s the one they wound up picking.

It got even weirder when Hayden put Theo through the same exact thing. He knows he’s attractive but that doesn’t mean he wants to parade around in suits while Hayden makes him pose. At one point she’d dropped a pen and asked Theo sweetly to pick it up. Theo blames himself for falling for it. He’d heard a few coughs and turned to see Liam looking away while Hayden and Lydia grinned at each other, before Hayden declared that the perfect suit.

He’s brought out of his thoughts by Hayden’s pensive voice next to him, “You know, I’m not really sure about these flowers.”

Theo’s head snaps in her direction, mouth hanging open slightly, “Isn’t it a little too late to change flowers? The wedding is 3 days away away.”

“I have some pull,” Lydia says, “though I have been using it quite a bit and don’t want to piss off my contacts so that I can use them again in the future.”

Hayden sighs, running her hand along her wedding planner that’s laid out in front of her, “I guess they’re not _terrible._ ”

“But they’re your favorite” Theo says. He was sure they were. He’d sat through enough of these conversations and heard Liam complain enough to know a lot more than he’d like to about Hayden’s taste for flowers, cake, dresses, and basically everything wedding related.

“I know,” Hayden says, “but I really don’t want this to be about me. I want it to be about _you_ as well.”

She gives Theo a long look at his. He knows she sees Liam but the way she’s looking at him makes him wonder if that’s all she sees. There’s no way she could know though. He’s been so careful to be on his best Liam behavior. Except for kissing Hayden. He might be pretending to be Liam but he’s drawing the line there. The weird part was Hayden didn’t seem to mind, content to accept the kiss he placed on her cheek instead. Even that had been hard for him.

Hayden offers to drive him home after they’re done going over the last minute wedding details. He can feel her eyes on him every so often and it puts him on edge. He resolutely looks out the window trying to avoid her gaze. He’s afraid if she looks into his eyes, _Liam’s eyes_ , she’ll see right through him. _If she already hasn’t_ , his mind supplies.

He hears a sigh and then the sound of a blinker before the car pulls off to the side of the road. Hayden’ fully looking at him now, he knows she is. He can feel her eyes boring into him.

“Are you sure you’re alright Liam?”

Theo makes himself stay calm, not wanting to offer reassurance too quick. He doesn’t know how to do this. He doesn’t know what Liam and Hayden are like on their own. Not that he _wants_ to know that. He puts on a small smile, turning to face her. He feels his skin crawl when he makes himself reach over and take her hand, “I’m fine. Just tired I guess.”

She squeezes his hand, giving a small smile of her own, “You know I don’t believe you.”

“What?”

“There’s something else on your mind,” Hayden says, pulling her hand away so that she can lean back against the door, arms crossed across her chest, “and you’re going to tell me what it is or this car isn’t moving.”

Theo starts to panic. He can’t be trapped in this car with Hayden. His mind is screaming at him to jump out of the car and run. That would only make things worse since to Hayden it wouldn’t be him running, it would be Liam. His mind is reeling, trying to figure out how to answer her question. He kind of wishes he’d kept it shut when the words spill out. “Why do you keep putting things off? Do you not want to marry me?”

Hayden stares at him for a moment and then shrugs, as if the question was nothing. “No, and we both know you don’t want to marry me either.”

Theo’s eyes widen, “What? Why would you think that?”

Hayden snorts, “Oh come on, you _know_ why.”

“If you don’t want to marry me then why are we doing all this?”

“The same reason you are I suppose. And the wedding is happening until you both can admit to yourselves what that is and do something about it.”

Theo stares at her, mouth hanging open as she puts the car into drive and heads towards his apartment. He tries to stay calm. He needs to, at least until he’s home. Then again, if Liam’s there he can’t exactly let himself freak out either. Luckily for him Liam doesn’t seem to be home yet. He lets out a relieved sigh that doesn’t go unmissed by Hayden.

“You’re both idiots,” she says, “you and Liam.”

“What? What do you mean? I am Liam.”

 _Yeah cause that’s real convincing, you idiot_. He thought he’d been doing such a good job of being Liam with Hayden. Apparently not.

“I’m not as oblivious as you all think I am Theo,” Hayden says, staring at Theo with a smirk on her face.

“Why would you… when did you figure it out?” Theo asks.

“Back at the house,” Hayden says, “you fooled me at first but you two have such distinct behavior that it was easy to spot. To anyone that doesn’t know Liam well you’d do a pretty good impersonation of him but to those that do? Not so much. Especially not when your eyes get all glassy and lovesick when you think of him.”

“Is that why you said what you did about not wanting marry him?” Theo grits out, his fists clenching, “You what? Wanted to mess with me?”

Hayden shakes her head, “No. Actually all of that was true.”

“Then why tell me? Why not tell Liam?”

Hayden sighs, “He needs to figure things out on his own. Or at least stop being such a damn coward about it. Which is why you’re not going to tell him about this.”

“But…”

“No. You can’t say anything to him Theo.”

“I don’t like lying to him. Especially not about something as important as this,” Theo tells her. “And I really can’t believe you’d marry him knowing you don’t love each other.”

“It’s complicated,” she says.

“I bet it is,” Theo mumbles, “you don’t tell anyone about the switch and I won’t tell Liam about this conversation. _But_ you will tell him before the wedding. Or at least talk with him. I don’t care what you say, you need to talk to him.”

Hayden nods, “Fine. But that’s assuming you two have switched back before the wedding.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Theo says, “Liam was supposed to look into it today.”

Hayden snorts, “You expect Liam to figure out how to change you back? Liam? Without asking anyone else for help?”

Theo sighs, “Yeah well I couldn’t exactly help. Not when I was parading around as Liam and going to class and then planning this wedding you don’t even apparently want to have.”

Hayden frowns, “I know it must seem like a waste of time. But it will all make sense in the end.”

“If you say so.”

Theo’s about to get out of the car when Hayden’s voice sends him reeling, “He does love you, you know?”

“No he doesn’t,” Theo says, almost ripping the door open in his haste to get out. He looks back at her one last time, “if he did he wouldn’t be planning to marry you.”

He slams the door and almost runs into the apartment. He can’t talk to Hayden anymore. He just wants a shower and his bed. He knows he told Liam he wouldn’t shower but that was also for today only. It doesn’t seem like Liam’s figured a way for them to switch back yet and like hell is Theo going to bed tonight without cleaning.

He turns the water on and undresses quickly. The warm spray feels amazing against his skin. _Liam’s skin,_ he thinks, _you’re showering in Liam’s naked body._

Theo shakes his head, trying to rid himself of the thoughts. He loses himself in the feeling of the water relaxing him as he washes his hair and body off. Theo forgets himself for a moment and looks down. His eyes immediately snap up before his curiosity gets the better of him and he looks down again. He lips tilt up slightly, _Impressive._

He hand moves of its own accord, giving a curious stroke, before he catches himself and removes his hand like it’s on fire. He tells himself not to go there. He might be himself in his mind but this is still Liam’s body. He can’t… He has to have boundaries. If Liam can handle it he should be able to too.

He finishes rinsing off and then quickly gets out of the shower. He’s careful not to look down, drying off and dressing as quickly as possible Liam still isn’t home when Theo walks out. He should have been off work hours ago. Theo really has no idea where he could be. Maybe with Mason.

He pushes down all the feelings that are threatening to come up. He doesn’t need that. Not now. What he needs to focus on is figuring out a way to break this spell or whatever it is. He just hopes Liam actually had time to look into it. He knows it has to have something to do with what happened at the Chinese restaurant but he has no idea where to go from there.

Theo thinks about waiting up to see what Liam knows but decides against it. He’s still feeling strung out from the day he’s had. He knows it’ll show on his face or in his body language. Liam could always read Theo well, he imagines he’d be even better at detecting emotions on himself. Then again, he never actually sees what those emotions look like. Theo still doesn’t risk it though. He crawls into his own bed and falls into a fitful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam's POV on the day of the swap

Liam feels weird when he starts coming around. The weirdest part is that he’s sure he hears his own voice telling him to wake up. Which doesn’t make sense. He’s here sleeping. He can’t be out there. Maybe he’s just hearing wrong. Whoever it is, they’re being really annoying though. He opens his eyes, intent on telling whoever it is to fuck off only to let out a yell of surprise before he’s tumbling backwards and off the bed.

He feels tense, sprinting to his feet and trying to get rid of the blankets he’s still caught up in. He needs to be ready and alert. Whatever this monster is has taken his face. He needs to make sure it hasn’t gotten to Theo. That thought makes him growl as he finally disposes of the blanket, “What are you? Some sort of shapeshifter?”

He frowns when the voice that comes out sounds like Theo. He wishes the weirdness stopped there but it doesn’t. He and Theo have apparently swapped bodies. Now Theo has to go to school for him and he has to work for Theo. Theo works in a bookstore downtown. Something tells Liam his day might go a little easier than Theo’s. He feels a little bad about it, especially about insisting that he meet up with Hayden and Lydia. He just didn’t want to worry Hayden this close to the wedding.

_What if you don’t change back by then?_ His mind supplies, _What if you stay stuck like this for more than a few days. You’d like that wouldn’t you?_

He can’t deny it even though he wants to. He knows he doesn’t really want to marry Hayden. Part of him would be grateful if the wedding had to be postponed. He might even welcome it. That just makes him start feeling like a shitty person again.

After Liam drops Theo off on campus he drives to the mall. He still has an hour before he has to be at work so he has plenty of time to get some new clothes. He might be in Theo’s body but these clothes just are not working for him. While he usually doesn’t mind the view they’re not nearly as comfortable as they look. He decides to go for something nice looking but still comfortable and casual.

Once he’s satisfied he drives over to the bookstore Theo works at. He doesn’t expect to run into any issues. Theo usually works alone and from what he says the place never gets too busy except for a few regulars. He uses the downtime to prowl the shelves. The store holds mostly fiction but there are some other books around.

He’s surprised to find a reference book on magic. He knows it can’t possibly hold _real_ spells but he still can’t resist pulling it out and taking it back up front to flip through. After an hour of nothing he gives up, placing the book to the side.

He taps his fingers against the counter for a few minutes before giving in and pulling his phone out. If the book doesn’t have anything maybe Stiles has some information. He could always say he’s just curious.

**_“What do you know about body swapping?”_ **

**_“Why? What did you do?”_** It’s only when Stiles texts back that Liam realizes his mistake, he texted Stiles from Theo’s phone. They might be on good terms now but they’re probably not texting buddies or anything.

He sighs typing out what he hopes is a believable response. **_“Why do you always assume I did something?”_**

The response is almost immediate, **_“Because you usually have. And it almost always involves Liam. You two can’t seem to stay out of trouble.”_**

Liam frowns. That’s not true, not really. Sure, when something happens to one of them it usually happens to the other. This situation is just proof of that. Which is all the more reason why he’s _not_ going to tell Stiles. He would give the biggest ‘I told you so’ ever. **_“Nothing happened. I’m just curious about what you know.”_**

**_“Why?”_ **

**_“Does there need to be a reason?”_ **

**_“In general? No. With you? Yes.”_ **

Liam glares down at his phone. He doesn’t know why he thought texting Stiles was a good idea. **_“It’s just for research, okay? Like I said, I’m curious.”_**

Stiles doesn’t say anything for a few minutes and Liam starts thinking it’s a lost cause. He’ll just have to find information elsewhere. That is until 5 minutes after Liam sends the text Stiles replies, **_“I just sent you an email you the information I have. Don’t make me regret it.”_**

Liam feels a little weird going into Theo’s email. His texts are one thing but his email feels different, more private. But it’s the only way he can get the information from Stiles. He goes in, prepared to fetch the email and then get out. He does the first part but as he clicks on the email he notices a familiar name in Theo’s unread messages: Derek Hale.

Liam shakes his head, deciding to ignore it. Theo and Derek are friends. Derek’s his closest friend a part from Liam. Of course they would email. He downloads the file Stiles sent and scrolls through it. It’s not much, especially not on how to possibly reverse a body swap. He’s tempted to text Stiles back and ask him but that would just make the human more suspicious. For now at least he was on his own about how to figure it out.

The work day passes slowly. Only a few customers come in, spending their time quietly browsing the books before making their way to the register. Liam doesn’t know how Theo does it. Standing back behind the desk with nothing to do but stare at the shelves of books is boring. Liam supposes he probably reads to pass the time. Theo does often come home with various books after work.

Liam’s happy when 5 o’clock rolls around signaling the end to his day. He says hello to the person coming in for their shift before making his way out to Theo’s truck. He gets a text from Mason asking if he wants to meet for dinner at Lacy’s Diner down the street. He’s already replied and started the drive there when he realizes Mason actually texted _Theo_ about dinner and not him. What the hell?

Mason is waiting in their usual booth when Liam walks in. He waves Liam over and smiles when he sits down, “Theo man. Thanks for coming.”

Liam does his best to shrug in a way that fits Theo, “I was curious why you wanted to have dinner with me. I wasn’t aware we were on dinner buddy terms.”

“We’re friends,” Mason says, “I mean, I’d say we are. Sure we’re not best bros like you and Liam but that’s fine by me. I don’t want any part of _that_ relationship.”

Liam’s brow furrows, “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing!” Mason says, grinning up at the waitress when she walks over. “Hey Tammy.”

Tammy smiles down at the two, tapping her pen on her notebook, “Mason. Theo. Where’s the third musketeer?”

“Finalizing wedding details,” Liam says.

Tammy nods, “Ah yes. It’s getting close isn’t it?”

“Just two days away,” Mason says, “that is if neither get cold feet.”

Liam lets out a strangled sound that draws both of their attention. He tries to cover it up, remembering that he’s supposed to be Theo right now. “Surely that won’t happen.”

Mason gives him a long look, “You never know. Things happen all the time.”

“He’s your best friend, don’t you want him to get married and be happy?”

“I want him to be happy, yes. But getting married and being happy aren’t mutually exclusive.”

Someone clears their throat, reminding the two that Tammy is still at their table. “You boys just want your usual?”

They both nod and Tammy leaves them alone. Liam stares Mason down, trying to understand what his best friend is playing at. Why would he be saying things like that to Theo? Acting like he doesn’t want Liam to marry Hayden. He’s afraid to ask but the question slips from his lips before he can think better of it, “Do you not want him to marry Hayden?”

“It doesn’t matter what I want,” Mason says, “I’m not the one getting married.”

Liam clenches his fists. He wants to keep probing, find out how Mason really feels about him marrying Hayden. But he also doesn’t. It’s not as if Mason hasn’t questioned his decision before but he’s never seemed against it. More concerned about it being something Liam really wants.

“Mason.”

Mason looks up at him then, eyes narrowed. “I want him to be happy. I want him to make a decision that’s best for not just him but for everyone. Not one out of fear but because it’s something he wants. I want him to be honest with himself about what and who he really wants.”

Liam hears more than feels the blood rushing to his ears. He tries to keep calm. Mason thinks he’s talking to Theo. He doesn’t know.

“Maybe it’s not that easy,” Liam says, voice quiet.

“The things that really matter never are,” Mason says.

“You’re getting philosophical again,” Liam says, throwing a sugar packet at him.

He needs a way to diffuse the tension so that he can give himself time to do what he does best, bury his problems down and hope that they go away. It’s not remotely logical or healthy but it’s the best he has. He knows he’ll have to deal with them at some point but now is not the time.

When they’ve finished dinner and paid for their food they walk out to their cars. Mason stops him before he can get in the truck. “Feel like heading to the arcade?”

Liam stares at him for a moment, confused. Now he’s wanting to go to the arcade? With Theo? “You want to willingly hang out with me? Have you hit your head?”

Mason rolls his eyes, “I just thought it might be nice.”

“Nice?” Liam asks.

“Yes! Nice! You do normal stuff too, right? Like you read _all the time_. You give Derek a run for his money. And it’s not creepy books. They're normal. So surely you do normal stuff like go to the arcade.”

“Do normal people even go to the arcade anymore?” Liam asks, trying to give off the unconcerned air Theo usually does, “In fact, do they even exist?”

“Yes they do,” Mason says, “sure they’re not as popular as they used to be but they exist. I can show you, if you want.”

Liam is feeling far too curious about why Mason wants Theo to go to the arcade so bad to say no. “I’m sure seeing the ruins of a childhood that was once will be depressing but sure, why not?”

Mason grins, “Awesome. It’s not far so you can just follow me there.”

Liam agrees despite the fact that he knows exactly where the arcade is. He and Mason go all the time. The arcade is located a few blocks from his apartment so he’s usually able to walk and meet Mason. He’s tempted to park Theo’s truck in their parking lot and walk to meet Mason but decides against it. One, he’s feeling too lazy to walk. And two, it would look weird for Theo to know that’s an option.

They spend some time working their way through the games. Liam keeps having to remind himself it’s not him hanging out with Mason but Theo. He can’t exactly crack the same jokes he would if he were himself. Well he _could_ but he’d probably get some weird looks from Mason. Well, more than he’s already been getting.

Mason sighs after Liam beats him at yet another game of air hockey and flops down at one of the tables, “Are you sure you weren’t using your werewolf abilities to cheat?”

Liam rolls his eyes, “Believe it or not I’m capable of winning at air hockey without cheating.”

“You didn’t that one time in San Francisco.”

Liam’s head snaps in Mason’s direction, “What?”

“Oh shit,” Mason’s eyes widen, “Umm… surprise I know you’re not Theo?”

Liam stares at him for a moment before sinking down into the seat next to Mason. He throws his head back and stares up at the ceiling, “Are you telling me you’ve known this whole time?”

“I’m your best friend,” Mason says, “Of course I know. I figured it out in less than 5 minutes with Theo.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything?” Liam asks, turning his head in Mason’s direction.

Mason grins sheepishly, “I wanted to mess with you a bit. Which you kind of deserved since it doesn't look like you were planning to tell me.”

“We weren’t going to tell anyone,” Liam says, “we wanted to figure it out ourselves so no one started panicking.”

“Because you’re getting married the day after tomorrow you mean?”

“Yeah,” Liam sighs then narrows his eyes at his best friend. “Wait, all that stuff you said at the diner… you knew it was me the whole time you were saying all that.”

Mason shrugs, “Only way to get you to listen. You couldn’t get all pissy and storm off without giving yourself away.”

“And you meant all of that?”

“I did. I want you to be happy Liam. And honestly, I really don’t think you are. I think you’re trying to be. I think you’re hoping if you pretend you are for long enough it will become true but it won’t.”

“I can be happy with Hayden,” Liam mutters, looking away from Mason. Even he can tell that’s a lie.

“You can’t marry her because you’re afraid of facing your feelings for Theo,” Mason tells him, “it’s not fair to anyone.”

“I know. I just need to figure this out.”

“Well you better do it fast because you don’t have much time left,” Mason says. “That is, if you can even have a wedding right now.”

“We’re figuring it out,” Liam says, “I spent a lot of today going through books and information Stiles has on body swaps. There wasn’t much of anything.”

“So what does that mean?”

“It means we’ll have to go back to where it started.”

“One more thing,” Mason says, looking a little sheepish, “I found something out. It’s good news. Great news actually. The best. But umm it could also present a problem?”

Liam’s brow furrows, “How? What’s the news?”

“Remember a few months ago when we entered that contest to open for Simple Plan?”

Liam nods, “Yeah. I thought they found a winner.”

“Oh they did,” Mason says, “but, get this, the band broke up last night and had to pull out. Since we were technically second place they’ve asked us to fill in.”

“That’s awesome!” Liam says, “Wait… when is it?”

“Tomorrow. That’s the problem.”

Liam sighs. Of course. His one chance to open for one of his favorite bands and he probably won’t be able to play. On top of that, it’s also supposed to be his bachelor party.

“I don’t suppose Theo can play the guitar, can he?” Mason asks.

“I doubt it,” Liam says. He tilts his head in thought as a plan starts to form in his mind. He looks back over at Mason and grins, “But I have an idea. We just have to get Theo to agree to it.”

Easier said than done. But Liam’s not opposed to begging. Not for something like this.

Theo is sleeping when Liam gets home that night. He’s in his own bed this time. Liam stops at the door, feeling his heart do some sort of summersault in his chest at the sight of his body in Theo’s bed. It makes his mind race with thoughts he’s been trying to tamp down.

He’s about to leave and go to his room when Theo blearily blinks his eyes open, squinting over at him, “Liam?”

“Yeah. Sorry. I just got home,” Liam tells him, “You should go back to sleep.”

“Wait,” Theo says, “Did you find anything out?”

Liam sighs, “I did let learn much, but I think…”

“What?” Theo asks.

“We both know it has to do with the Chinese restaurant. I think we should go back there and ask. Maybe the lady put a spell on us and can switch us back.”

“If she is the one that did this what makes you think she’d switch us back?”

“It doesn’t feel malicious,” Liam says, “at least I don’t think it was. Either way we need to know.”

Theo nods. He has to know Liam has a point. No matter what the reasoning for the switch was they had to know if they wanted any hope of switching back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used in this chapter:  
> [Take Me Away](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMecIv2OaDg) by Christina Vidal  
> [Hit Me Baby One More Time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOfyoUw6lEU) (obviously the Chad Michael Murray version)  
> [Brand New Day](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8WtlbwQh8Q) by Forty Foot Echo was also playing a lot while writing this

Theo is still fighting the urge to run, or to just scream at Liam and ask him why the hell he’s marrying Hayden when he doesn’t really love her. That thought makes something ugly twist in his gut. Hayden had said Liam that loves him. He knows even the possibility of that should make him hopeful at least, but all he can think about is that if Liam really does love him he must not be happy about it. In fact, he hates the idea of loving Theo so much that he’d rather marry Hayden and risk being unhappy than be with him.

He growls, hands clenching into fists. He’s feeling far too wound up right now. He needs to let out some of his frustration before going to the Chinese restaurant with Liam. Grabbing his gym bag he heads for the door, leaving a note for Liam to let him know he’ll be back with breakfast. Liam isn’t up early unless he has to be so Theo doubts he’ll even notice he’s gone. He still leaves the note just in case. He learned early on that it’s better to let Liam know when he’s leaving than just disappear.

He spends an hour at the gym going through his usual routine. It’s only halfway through after receiving yet another strange look from one of the regulars that he remembers he doesn’t look like himself. At least he hadn’t tried to say hello to anyone. That would have been hard to explain.

Liam is awake and in the shower when Theo gets home. Theo’s brow furrows when he notices Liam’s guitar sitting out in the living room. He hasn’t tried to play his electric guitar here since one of the neighbors complained about the noise. He usually sticks to acoustic, and even then it’s usually in the comfort of his own room.

Liam comes bounding down the hallway a few minutes later, his hair wet and in disarray. Liam really must enjoy making Theo look ridiculous. Theo gestures to the bag on the table, “I picked up some breakfast sandwiches from the bakery.”

Liam grins and reaches for the bag, pulling one of the sandwiches out, “My favorite. Thanks Theo.”

Theo shrugs, digging into his own food. They eat in silence for the most part until Theo’s curiosity gets the better of him, “What’s with the guitar?”

Liam rubs the back of his neck nervously, “Umm about that….”

“What Liam?”

“So turns out the band that one the contest to open for Simple Plan broke up and now they want us to fill in for them.”

“And?” Theo prompts, “I’m sensing there’s a but here.”

“But it’s tonight before the bachelor party and I really might need you to fill in for me.”

Liam rushes the words out so fast Theo almost doesn’t catch them. He does, though he really wishes he hadn’t. He gives Liam his best ‘what the hell?’ look. “Liam, I can’t play the guitar.”

“I know. I know. But I have a plan.”

“What sort of plan?”

“You just have to pretend to play, okay? I’ll be backstage playing the actual song while you’re on stage acting like you are.”

“I can’t decide yet if that is a good idea or an incredibly stupid one,” Theo says, taking a sip of his coffee. He wants to say no. He doesn’t exactly want to get up on stage and perform in front of hundreds of people. But he knows how important this is to Liam. He had been so excited when he entered the contest. Theo was never very good at refusing Liam anyway. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

Liam grins, jumping up and hugging Theo, “Thank you! I have to go tell Mason. We have to practice.”

“You can practice,” Theo tells him, “ _after_ we go by the Chinese restaurant. We might not even have to do this whole charade if we can get ourselves changed back.”

“Fine,” Liam mutters, shoveling the last bites of food into his mouth. “I’m gonna go get dressed.”

Theo watches him go before he starts cleaning up the kitchen. If one thing hasn’t changed it’s that Liam still knows how to make a mess. Theo had been annoyed at first, deciding not to clean up after Liam at all. Except them the apartment had started to smell and he decided he’d might as well do the cleaning to save his poor senses.

He’s just finishing up when he hears Liam walk back in. He turns to say something but stops when he takes Liam in, “What on earth are you wearing?”

Liam looks down, pulling at the fabric of his flannel before his eyes drift back up to meet Theo’s. “Clothes?”

“Yeah but _who’s_ clothes? Because those sure as hell aren’t mine.”

“I know,” Liam says, “I went shopping and bought new clothes.”

Theo’s face scrunches up in confusion, “Why?”

“Because your clothes were too tight and uncomfortable. These fit a lot better.”

“Because you’re practically swimming in them,” Theo points out. “Did you even try them on?”

Liam glares at him. It doesn’t have the desired effect since it’s his own face glaring over at him in whatever ridiculous outfit Liam put his body in. “Of course I tried them on! I just… didn’t have all that much time cause I wanted to make sure you were on time for work.”

“How considerate of you,” Theo smirks.

“God that expression looks ridiculous on my face,” Liam mutters.

“And those clothes look ridiculous on me,” Theo shrugs, “looks like we’re both going to have to deal.”

“Let’s just get to the restaurant and hope the lady can help switch us back.”

 

They don’t see the old lady when they enter the restaurant. It’s only when they’re inside that Theo realizes they have no idea what her name is or if she even works here. How could they have been stupid enough to take food from some a stranger like that?

Liam strides up to the counter at the front of the restaurant, putting on a pleasant smile. “Hi, we’re looking for someone.”

The man looks at Liam expectantly, clearly wanting more information. Theo rolls his eyes and steps up beside Liam, “We don’t know her name. She just came up to us a few days ago and gave us fortune cookies.”

Behind them a woman drops a tray, which was thankfully empty. She and the man share a look before the woman takes off towards the back, “Gran! Tell me you didn't!”

The old woman from before appears in the hallway. She spots Theo and Liam and her eyes widen. When she makes to turn away Liam tries to go after her but is stopped by the man, who offers a pained smile, “I’m sure there’s a way we can work this out nicely, don’t you?”

“We just want to talk to her,” Theo says, giving Liam a long look until Liam’s shoulders slump and he takes a step back. “We just want to know what she did to us and how she can fix it.”

“I can’t fix it,” the old woman says and walks up to them. “Only you two have the ability to fix it. Follow the cookie and all will return to how it should be.”

“Follow the cookie?” Liam repeats.

The woman nods, “That’s right.”

“But the cookie doesn’t make any sense!”

“It does. You just have to want it to.”

“What does that mean?” Liam asks, his shoulders tense. Theo can feel the anger and frustration radiating off of him. Unlike Liam Theo has a pretty good idea of what it means. “I can’t even remember what the cookie says.”

Theo fights the urge to roll his eyes. He doesn’t have to part werewolf to know it’s a lie. Theo knows though, repeating the words to himself in his head **_“The object of your heart’s desire is close to being lost. Follow the light to them before it is too late.”_**

If they have to follow the advice of the cookie to switch back they really are screwed. Liam is in a serious case of denial about what he wants, anyone could see that. And Theo isn’t about to give in to his desire and risk losing everything because Liam doesn’t want him. So unless one of them caves, they’re going to risk being stuck like this forever. Great.

*

The rest of the day passes pretty fast and before Theo knows it it’s time for the concert. He’s tried his best push all the swirling emotions he’s been feeling aside and focus on the performance. He just has to look like he knows what he’s doing. That’s all. He can do this. He gives Liam a nervous smile when the time comes and he’s being ushered out onto the stage.

Theo tries his best to focus on Mason, Corey, and Malia on stage with him but it does little to calm his nerves. Then he hears Liam, telling him it’s okay and to breathe. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He just has to get through this song. One song and then he can get off this stage. He can do this. He sees Mason watching him and nods his head, whispering a quiet “I’m ready” knowing Liam can hear him.

He knows what to do. He waits for Liam’s, “Start playing now,” before he fingers start dancing across the strings. He’d watched Liam practice earlier, and tries his best to mimic the movements so his performance looks as believable as possible. As his nerves start to leave him he finds himself smiling and moving across the stage.

 _Round and round, here we go again_  
_Same old story, the same old end_  
_Turn my head, I turn back again_  
_Same old stuff never ends_

When Mason sings the final words he finds himself sad it’s over. He didn’t actually play but he can’t deny the rush he got just being on stage performing. He waves to the crowd and makes his way backstage.

As soon as he’s put the guitar down Liam is jumping into his arms and hugging him, “You did great!”

“All I did was pretend to play,” Theo says, smiling down at him, “you’re the one that did all the work.”

“Yeah but you made it look believable,” Liam says as he pulls back, “and the crowd loved you.”

“He’s right,” Corey says, “the girls were going crazy.”

“Yeah whatever,” Theo says, feeling uncomfortable by all the attention. He checks his phone and then looks over at Liam, “You should probably go.”

Liam checks his own phone and his eyes widen, “Shit yeah. The bachelor party. I wish we could stay though.”

“I know man but this kind of has to happen tonight since the wedding is tomorrow,” Mason says.

“Maybe,” Liam says, so quiet Theo almost doesn’t catch it.

Mason claps him on the back and starts leading him out of the venue, Corey and Malia following. Liam stops a few feet away and glances back at where Theo is still standing, “You’re coming, right?”

Theo wants to say no. He’s tired and the last thing he wants to do right now is go out while Liam celebrates his last night as a single man. Or so Liam thinks. Liam did have a point before. They still haven’t figured out a way to switch back, at least not one that either seemed to want to try. Liam seems to want to keep up with the charade though. At this point he wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to marry Hayden while in Theo’s body. Not that _Hayden_ would do that.

Theo plasters on his most convincing smile, “Yeah I’m coming.”

Theo walks away to the sounds of Simple Plan singing _Happy Together_. The universe really must have a sick sense of humor.

*

The bachelor party is at the house Mason and Corey are renting a short distance from campus. They’d originally offered Liam a room but he’d declined the offer, deciding to move in with Theo instead. Theo wonders how different things would be if Liam had moved in with them. Would they still be as close as they are now? Would Liam still be marrying Hayden? Would Theo’s heart still be breaking into a million pieces at the thought of losing the one good thing he has in his life?

He doesn’t know about the other two but the last one is a given. He’d loved Liam long before they moved in together, that wouldn’t have stopped just because Liam lived with Mason and Corey and not him. He would have loved him from a distance instead. Maybe that would have been easier. Easier but not preferred. He’d take any time he gets to spend with Liam, even if it means letting him close enough to hurt him.

He sits in the corner of the room, drinking the bottle of wolfsbane laced whiskey Stiles had thrust into his hand at the beginning of the night, “Lydia said you looked like more of a whiskey guy than a beer guy.”

The others are gathered in a group either on or around the couch as they play some drinking game and tell stories. Liam’s barely touched his drink in the house since they got here. His eyes keep drifting to Theo, brow furrowing in concern.

“So how’s it feel to know you’re about to be married?” Scott asks, drawing Liam’s attention back to him. They’d of course had to cave and tell the others about the switch. It had been Theo’s idea. He couldn’t take another night of pretending to be a happily engaged Liam.

Liam doesn’t seem to be doing a very good job of it either. He just shrugs at Scott’s question.

Stiles snorts, taking a sip from his beer, “Don’t look too excited.”

Liam’s eyes drift back to Theo. It doesn’t look right, that sadness in them. It shouldn’t be there on his face. Theo never lets his emotions show like that. Liam shouldn’t either. Not right now. Not on the night of his bachelor party when he’s supposed to be marrying someone else the next morning. He’d made his decision earlier to ignore the lady when she said the way to switch back was to follow the fortune. It’s not fair of him to look at Theo with those sad, lost eyes.

Theo abruptly stands, placing the barely drank bottle of whiskey on the table. All eyes turn to him, some in confusion, others in what he guesses is pity he doesn’t want nor need.

“I think I’m going to go,” Theo says, inching his way towards the door.

Liam doesn’t say anything, just continues to watch him. Derek stands up, ignoring Stiles’ complaints about losing his pillow, “I’ll walk you out.”

Theo expects Derek to just walk him to the door but he sets off for Theo’s truck, which is thankfully a couple blocks away and out of earshot from nosey werewolves.

“This can’t go on Theo,” Derek says, frowning at him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Theo says, crossing his arms defensively across his chest. When Derek just gives him an unimpressed look Theo sighs, shoulders sagging in defeat. “It won’t be going on for much longer. Liam is getting married and moving out.”

“Maybe,” Derek says, “but in case you haven’t noticed he’s still in your body. He can’t exactly get married like that.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Theo mutters.

“You really think he’d try to?” Derek asks.

Theo shrugs, “Maybe. But Hayden wouldn’t allow it. She…” Theo sighs, finally speaking the words that have been eating at him for days, “she doesn’t want to marry him.”

“How do you know?”

“Because she told me. She also said that Liam doesn’t want to marry her but he sure as hell could have fooled me.”

“I really think you should just talk to him,” Derek says.

Theo lets out a bitter, broken laugh. “And tell him what? ‘Hey Liam, I’m in love with you. Hayden told me you’re in love with me. But that obviously can’t be true because you’re so intent on marrying her. Which I really wish you wouldn’t because the only person I want you to marry is me.’ Is that what you want me to say?”

“It’s a start.”

“Yeah well, I’ve had my heart ripped out enough already thanks. I’m not too keen on it happening again when Liam rejects me.”

“What makes me think he’ll reject you?”

“He obviously doesn’t want me,” Theo says, “If he did he wouldn’t be marrying Hayden.”

“I think this situation is just complicated,” Derek says, “and could be resolved if all of you would just talk to each other.”

Theo finds it a little funny that Derek’s the one offering up advice on communication but decides to hold his tongue. He knows Derek is right but he also knows Liam. He’s stubborn. If he doesn’t want to talk about something then he won’t.

“There’s something else,” Derek says, leaning back against Theo’s truck, “You never responded to my email.”

“I haven’t had my phone,” Theo tells him, “I switched phones with Liam. It made more sense when we were pretending to be each other. I’m assuming it wasn’t important.”

“I wouldn’t say that. It’s not urgent, but it is important.”

Theo eyes him curiously, “What is it?”

“I’m going to be going to Paris for a while,” Derek tells him, “Isaac invited me and I thought it was about time I went. Stiles is coming too, of course.”

“Of course. I couldn’t see Stiles just letting you leave him behind like that.”

Derek’s lips tilt up into a fond smile, “No he wouldn’t. I emailed you because I have an offer for you. I want you to come with us.”

“What?” Theo asks, brow furrowing in confusion, “Go with you to Paris? I know we’re best friends but isn’t bringing me on a trip you’re taking with your boyfriend to one of the most romantic cities in the world a bit much?”

“It won’t just be me and Stiles,” Derek reminds him, “I just think it might be good for you. It’s… I’m worried about you. If something happens and Liam does wind up marrying Hayden it’s going to break you. You can deny it all you want but we both know it will.”

“So you think I should leave? Run away from my problems?”

“It’s not running away,” Derek says, “You’d be taking care of yourself. I don’t want to leave and come back and see that you’ve wasted away. You deserve to be happy Theo. And to have some peace. Paris might give you that.”

Theo isn’t sure what to say. It’s a lot of information. He gets where Derek’s coming from though.

When Theo doesn’t respond, Derek sighs, pushing off of the truck. “Just think about it, won’t you?”

“Yeah,” Theo nods, mind already someplace else, “I’ll think about it.”

Theo says his goodbyes to Derek and drives back to his apartment. He stands in the doorway, hating how quiet it is. He knows that soon it’ll be like this all the time. Liam will be gone and he’ll be on his own again. The thought makes him sadder than he ever thought it would. He really does have it bad.

*

Theo frowns when he receives a text from Mason a few hours later, **_“Bringing Liam home. He won’t stop talking about how badly he wants to see you. Sorry.”_**

Why would he be apologizing? Just how drunk could Liam be? He hadn’t drank that much when Theo was with them. Surely he hadn’t gotten _that_ wasted in the short time since he left them. Theo hates being wrong.

He hears Liam the moment he arrives. Giggling as he gets out of the car and hollers goodbye to Mason. Theo never thought he would hear himself giggle. It’s weird. The night only gets weirder. At first Liam just stands there. Theo peeks out the window of their apartment and sees him frowning up at their apartment. Then he nods his head and pulls out his phone. Theo thinks he’s about to call Mason back but that would have been too lucky.

After some disgruntled tapping Liam lets out a pleased noise and holds the phone up as music starts to play. _Oh no,_ Theo thinks, _this is not happening_.

But it is. As soon as the music starts Liam starts drunkenly singing, or more like screaming, along to Hit Me Baby One More Time. It would be funny if he wasn’t watching himself do it. He knows the neighbors aren’t going to be too fond of him after this.

 _My loneliness is killing me (and I)_  
_I must confess, I still believe (still believe)_  
_When I'm not with you I lose my mind_  
_Give me a sign_  
_Hit me, baby, one more time_

He only makes it a little bit into the second verse before their downstairs neighbor is opening her window and screaming out at Liam, “Knock it off Raeken! It’s 2 in the morning. Try and woo your roommate some other time.”

That makes Liam pout and Theo grimace. What he’s not expecting is for Liam to open his mouth and respond the way he does, “I just need him to know before it’s too late. He needs to know.”

Theo’s heart starts racing as he rushes out of the apartment and downstairs. He tries telling himself that Liam is drunk and it doesn’t mean anything. But his mind keeps playing over Liam’s words ‘ _I just need him to know before it’s too late_.’

Theo stops when he reaches the bottom, battling with his fight or flight instincts. Part of him wants to go to Liam, help him upstairs and into bed, and then go from there. The other part wants to run away from here. He knows if he stays he’ll have to face this situation. There won’t be any way to go back to normal after this.

Theo takes a deep breath and catches Liam’s scent, _his_ scent. Underneath the alcohol there’s a sadness and a longing there that he never realized. It’s not his own. It’s all Liam. Liam is sitting on the ground staring up at their apartment with tears in his eyes. It shouldn’t look adorable, especially since it’s his own body he’s looking at, but it’s also Liam. Theo can’t help but smile a little as he walks forward.

He frowns when he hears Liam muttering to himself, “Stupid. I thought this would work. It does in the movies. Maybe it was the song. Maybe he doesn’t like Britney Spears.”

Theo snorts, drawing Liam’s attention. His steps falter when Liam glances up at him, face open and vulnerable, “Pretty sure almost everyone likes Britney Spears.”

“Do you?” Liam asks, voice quiet and full of hope.

Theo really has no idea what’s going on right now. “I do.”

Liam grins up at him, bright and a little dopey. An expression he never thought he’d see on his own face, “Good. Because I… Theo…” He frowns down at his hands, “words are hard.”

Theo knows that better than anyone. Sighing, he walks the rest of the way to Liam, holding his hand out for him to take, “Come on Little Wolf. We need to get you some water and into bed.”

Liam takes his hand, stumbling when he stands. Theo puts an arm around his waist to steady him, “You have my phone?”

Liam nods, holding the phone up proudly. It’s slow going getting them back to their apartment. Liam stumbles most of the way and Theo has to bear his weight. Theo doesn’t even think, walking Liam back to his room and depositing him on his bed. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to get you some water.”

Liam smiles up at him, “Kay.”

He returns with the water, only to find Liam not in the bed where he left him. His brow furrows when he walks into his own room to find Liam star fished across the bed in nothing but his boxer briefs. Theo almost drops the water at the sight. _This is weird,_ Theo thinks, _that’s your body on the bed. Get a grip Raeken_. His mind of course tries to argue back that it’s actually _Liam_ sprawled out on the bed like that. It doesn’t help any.

“Theo?” Liam asks, peeking over at him.

“I’m here,” Theo says, walking over to the bed. He puts the water on the nightstand before sitting next to Liam on the bed. “You need to sit up and drink some water.”

Liam groans but attempts to sit up, “I don’t want water. I want sleep.”

Theo chuckles quietly, picking up the glass and holding it out to Liam, “You’ll thank me for making you drink this later. Now drink.”

Liam glares at the glass but still takes it, taking a few big gulps before handing it back to Theo. “Happy?”

“Very,” Theo stands up and starts attempting to pull the covers back. When Liam realizes what he’s trying to do he drunkenly maneuvers himself until he’s able to crawl under the covers. He sighs in contentment when he brings the comforter up to his face and closes his eyes. Theo has to close his eyes and turn away.

He goes to stand when a hand grips his arm, “Don’t go.”

“Liam…”

“Stay,” Liam says, looking up at him with big, pleading eyes, “Please stay.”

The right thing to do would be to tell Liam no and go sleep in Liam’s bed. Liam is drunk. He doesn’t know what he’s asking. Liam must catch on to where Theo’s thoughts are going because he sighs, his thumb brushing circles on the skin of Theo’s arm, “Just to sleep. I promise. I just… I don’t want to be alone right now. I need you here.”

Theo’s resolve has never been strong when it comes to Liam. “Just let me get changed and I’ll come back.”

“Promise?” Liam asks. Theo never would have called his own eyes doe like before but apparently with Liam in his body, anything is possible.

“Promise.”

He takes his time getting changed into a pair of Liam’s sweats and a loose t-shirt. He kind of hopes Liam would have passed out but he’s still awake, eyes focused on the door as if he’s been waiting for Theo to walk through.

“You came back,” Liam breathes, a bright smile taking over his face.

Theo can’t help but smile back as he makes his way over to the bed, “I told you I would.”

Liam nods, “And you keep your promises.”

Theo intends to sleep on the edge of the bed, away from Liam. Liam has other ideas. He yanks Theo down onto the bed, maneuvering Theo until he’s on his back and Liam can sprawl across his chest. Liam pulls back to glare at his own chest before moving around a bit. He settles for tucking his head underneath Theo’s neck, letting out a long sigh, “I wish we were switched back. I want to feel your arms around me, not my own.”

Theo closes his eyes, trying to fight down the feelings building in his chest. Liam’s drunk. He doesn’t know what he’s saying, “Go to sleep Little Wolf.”

Liam yawns, snuggling in closer to Theo. It’s quiet for a few minutes, long enough for Theo to think Liam has fallen asleep. Then Liam speaks, voice quiet, “Good night Theo. I love you. I don’t want you to go to Paris.”

Theo’s breath catches, all the blood rushing to his ears. His mind repeating the same thing to itself _Liam’s drunk. Liam’s drunk. Liam’s drunk._ He remembers a phrase ‘drunk mouths speak sober thoughts’ and wishes he hadn’t. He feels angry. At himself for letting the hope swirl in his chest at Liam’s words. At Liam for saying them in the first place, and only when he was drunk. He’s also wondering how the hell Liam even knew about Paris.

He tries to sleep but he can’t, not with his mind analyzing every single detail of every interaction he’s had with Liam, trying to figure out how he wound up here. When the sun starts rising Theo slips out of bed, only feeling a little guilty when Liam whines and reaches for him. He gives Liam his pillow, rolling his eyes fondly when Liam snuggles up to it.

Once he’s sure Liam is going to stay asleep Theo jots a quick note and then leaves the apartment. He walks until he reaches the edge of the nearby woods and then he does what he’s been needing to. He runs.

*

Liam is still sleeping when Theo gets home so he takes a quick shower. It’s strange how a couple days makes showering in someone else’s body seem normal. He stands there for longer than he normally would, his hands resting on the cool tile as the warm water cascades down his back. It relaxes him slightly but the tension is still there. He’s still filled with a restless energy despite his run. His chest rumbles with a low growl when he hears Liam moving in the other room and it makes him nervous. He doesn’t want to be angry with Liam but they’ve both been keeping their emotions at bay for too long.

Theo eventually has to turn off the water and dry himself off. He dresses slowly, hoping to relax a little more before he has to face Liam. Unfortunately for Theo he walks out to see Liam dressed in a pair of nice slacks and a button down, a garment bag in his hands. Theo knows it holds his own tux for the wedding.

“Please tell me you’re not going to try and keep up this whole charade,” Theo sighs, walking further into the room.

Liam glances over at him, “I’m going to explain the situation to Hayden. If she still wants to get married then we will.”

Theo knows Hayden won’t do it. Still, the thought that Liam would go through with it like this makes his blood boil, “You’d really do that?” Theo grits out, “you’d really marry her in _my_ body?”

“It doesn’t look like we’re going to switch back,” Liam says, throwing his hands up, the garment bag swinging uselessly in his hand, “I might not have a choice.”

“You know how to switch back!” Theo shouts, “The lady told us how to fix it. You just won’t do it! You’re too afraid!”

“Shut up,” Liam growls, shoving at Theo’s chest, “you don’t know anything.”

“I know more than you think Liam,” Theo says. He’s tired all of the sudden. Tired of this whole situation. Tired of hiding. He can’t do it anymore. Not when Liam’s about to walk out that door and try and marry someone else despite the fact that he doesn’t even love her. “I know I’ve been in love with you for years. I know that it hurt like hell to see you get back together and then engaged to Hayden but I let it go because you were happy and that’s all that mattered. I know all of that was a load of bull apparently because you’ve been lying to me and everyone else, including yourself. I know a lot. What I wish I knew was how to be enough for you.”

“Theo,” Liam chokes out, his composure slipping just a bit. “You _are_. But I can’t. I have to go.”

Theo watches Liam turn with a heavy heart. All he wants to do is tell him to stop, to stay here with him, to not go to Hayden. Liam stops at the door and Theo can see his shoulders shaking with each breath. Theo’s resolve is wearing thin. His hands are clenched at his sides.  It all comes crashing down when Liam glances back at him, looking lost and even more vulnerable than the night before when he’d asked him to stay.

Theo finds himself stepping forward as Liam turns back around to face him, garment bag dropping to the floor. He doesn’t think, he can’t. He can’t let Liam walk out of here without knowing what it feels like to kiss him, without at least taking a chance. He closes the distance between them in 4 long strides, taking Liam’s face in his hands and kissing him. It’s frantic and filled with pent up longing and desperation. He’s filled with the knowledge that if this doesn’t work Liam will walk out of here and he could lose him forever.

Suddenly his reality is shifting. His hands aren’t on Liam’s face anymore but wrapped around his back, his own back against the door. How had…? He jerks back in surprise to see Liam’s face in front of him. Seeing Liam’s wide blue eyes staring back at him, Theo can’t help but lean forward and claim his lips in another kiss, this one much gentler than the first. Liam kisses him back, hands moving up to grip Theo’s hair as he tugs gently on his bottom lip with his teeth.

“I’ve been such an idiot,” Liam mumbles, placing kisses across Theo’s face, “such an idiot. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay Liam,” Theo says, grabbing Liam’s chin so he can look at him again, “it’s okay.”

“How? How is it okay? I knew I loved you and I still got back together with Hayden. I was going to _marry_ her. I was just so afraid. I’ve never felt this strongly about anyone. I thought I was protecting myself and you by staying away. I’ve lost so many people and I couldn’t risk losing you. If anything I just made things worse and almost lost you anyway because of how afraid I was. I’m a horrible person.”

“You should know by now I’m not going anywhere,” Theo sighs, nudging Liam’s nose with his own as he rests their foreheads together, “You didn't make smart choices, I can give you that. But you’re not a horrible person Liam. Wanna know why? Because you feel bad about it. You weren’t setting out to hurt anyone.”

“But I did.”

“Yes, you did. Probably no one more than yourself.”

Liam closes his eyes and takes a shuddering breath, “I’ve fucked things up. Now I have to fix them. Starting with talking to Hayden. She deserves the truth.”

“So you’re not…?” Theo isn’t sure if wants to voice the question, ask Liam if he’s going to marry Hayden.

“I’m not marrying her,” Liam says, “I can’t do that to her, to _you_. And you… Paris?”

Theo doesn’t bother asking how Liam knows, it doesn’t matter. Not now. “I won’t go to Paris. At least not without you.”

Liam lets out a shaky breath, “Yeah. Okay. I should…”

“Do you want to go alone?”

Liam shakes his head, “I should probably talk to her alone but I want you to go with me to Mason’s.”

“Of course,” Theo says, carding a hand through Liam’s hair, “just let me get dressed.”

He reluctantly pulls away, placing a final kiss to Liam’s lips before starting towards his room. Liam’s voice stops him. “Could you wear the suit? Your ass looks excellent in it and it’d be a waste not to wear it.”

Theo throws a smirk over his shoulder, “I’ll wear the suit if you promise to help me out of it later.”

He picks up the discarded garment bag off the floor and leaves a gaping Liam standing in the living room as he goes to change. Today certainly turned out a lot different than he thought it would. It still feels a little surreal. Liam loves him and wants to be with him and isn’t marrying Hayden. His only hope is that the rest of the day goes as well as this.

Theo knows Liam must be feeling guilty about Hayden. He would too if he didn’t know for certain that Hayden doesn’t love Liam. He was going to tell Liam, to help ease his worries but he thought Hayden deserved to be the one to tell him the truth after everything. Either way, it was all going to be out in the open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go! Only one more chapter after this! Thanks for reading! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used in this chapter:  
> [Everything](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjDojEOiMcE) by Lifehouse  
> [Ultimate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDuGwbqLkIY) by Lindsay Lohan

Liam feels light, lighter than he’s felt in a long time. He’s still worried about the talk he has to have with Hayden but he’s ready for everything to be out in the open. He hopes she’ll understand but he honestly wouldn’t blame her if she hates him. He put her through all this, had her go through planning a wedding when he had no desire to marry her. He thinks back to last night, to what made him come home to Theo.

 

_He stumbles out of the house after downing the bottle of whiskey that Theo had abandoned far too fast. He scents the air and realizes Theo is still nearby. He knows it’s a bad idea but he needs to get closer, he needs to see him._

_When he realizes Derek is still there he keeps back. It’s not unusual for the two to talk but when he hears what they’re discussing he feels his heart freeze. Theo’s considering leaving and going to Paris with Derek. He’s considering leaving him. He knows it’s selfish of him to be upset. He’s the one getting married. Theo deserves to go and be happy. He just… God what is he doing?_

_He makes hasty and not so graceful retreat after that. He’s really starting to feel the effects of the whiskey now. He sits heavily on the curb and stares ahead, not really seeing anything. Everything is suddenly becoming much more real. At least to his drunk mind._

_Derek walks up a few minutes later, brow furrowing as he looks down at Liam, “What happened to you?”_

_Liam looks up at him as he tries to come up with a reasonable excuse, “Whiskey.”_

_Derek snorts, “Of course. Stay out of the street okay?”_

_He waits for Liam to nod before he pats him on the shoulder and makes his way inside. It’s another few minutes of Liam just sitting there in silence before he pulls out his phone, Theo’s phone and runs his fingers across the case. He debates calling Theo but even drunk he knows that wouldn’t help anything._

_He has all his friends inside but the one person he wants to talk to right now is asleep in a hotel room somewhere across town. He hits the call button without thinking about how late or how drunk he is. He just needs to talk to her._

_“Theo?” the concerned voice of Jenna Geyer filters out of the phone, “Theo? Is everything alright?”_

_Liam really hadn’t thought this through. He forgot his Mom didn’t know about the switch. “No Mom, it’s not Theo. It’s me.”_

_There’s silence on the other end of the line, long enough that Liam has to pull his phone away to make sure the call is still connected. Then there’s a sigh before his Mom is speaking again, “Liam. I know there’s probably an explanation for why you’re calling me from Theo’s phone sounding like Theo but I’m too tired to hear it right now. Something obviously made you call me, what is it?”_

_“Theo,” Liam whispers, “and Hayden. Mom I… I’ve made a mess of everything and now Theo might be leaving. I don’t know how to fix it.”_

_“You need to follow your heart Liam,” Jenna says, her tone gentle, “Let it lead you where you need to be.”_

_“Home,” Liam says, “Theo. I need to go home to Theo.”_

_“Then that’s where you should be. **But**_ _don’t do or say anything to that poor boy tonight Liam. It wouldn’t be fair to him to do whatever you plan to drunk or while you’re still engaged.”_

 

Liam knows his Mom had been right. He’d planned to take her advice. Then he got home and saw Theo’s silhouette in the window and all logical thought left him. All he knew was that he needed Theo to know. It may not have worked out how he’d planned last night but he got where he needed to be in the end.

He looks over at Theo, a smile lighting up his face when Theo grins over at him. Now that he has this he feels like an even bigger idiot for denying both of them the chance to be together for so long.

Theo parks the truck and looks over at him, “You ready?”

“Yeah I’m ready.”

For once it doesn’t feel like a lie. He walks with Theo into Mason and Corey’s. After a lot of debating Hayden and Lydia had decided to use their backyard for the ceremony and reception. There was a lot of space and it saved them the trouble and money of renting someplace else out. Not that that would matter. They’d still spent a lot of money on everything else.

Theo tries to stay downstairs but Liam drags him up the stairs with him, “I know you can’t go in with me but I just need you close. At least until I go in.”

Theo nods, “Until you go in. After that I think you two should have your privacy.”

Liam takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. Of course it’s Lydia that answers.

“I need to talk to Hayden,” Liam says, voice firm

Lydia looks from Liam to Theo and back before a wide grin covers her face, “Oh finally. I thought you’d never figure it out.”

“What?” Liam asks, glancing over at Theo who just shrugs. Liam nods in understanding. Lydia must know. How could she not? “Oh you mean about the switch? Yeah we figured that out this morning.”

“While I’m happy to hear that, I wasn’t talking about the switch,” Lydia says, “I was talking about you two being hopelessly in love with each other.”

“Lydia!” Liam hisses, glancing around the hallway.

Lydia rolls her eyes, “Oh relax Liam. Neither of you were exactly subtly. Which considering your relationship with Hayden…”

“I know. I made a lot of mistakes and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to make up for it. I just need to talk to Hayden and try to explain things.”

Lydia smiles, patting him on the cheek, “I think she’ll be more than understanding.”

She walks inside the room for a moment and returns with Malia, Kira, and Hayden’s sister Valerie. Weirdly, they all give him encouraging smiles and a thumbs up as they pass. What in the world is going on?

“Good luck,” Theo whispers, placing a kiss to the side of his head before walking off after the girls.

Hayden is sitting in one of the chairs in the room when he walks in. Liam is surprised to find her in just a simple dress, no wedding dress in sight, “Is that what you’re wearing?”

Hayden looks down at the dress before letting her eyes drift back to Liam, “if you’re here to tell me that I think you are I think it’s a good thing I never bought a wedding dress.”

“You didn’t?”

“No Liam, I didn’t. Now quitting pussyfooting around and tell me what you came to tell me.”

“You never wanted to marry me, did you?” Liam knows he should just tell her about Theo but he’s stuck on the fact that Hayden doesn’t seem the least bit bothered by the fact that Liam is most likely here to break things off.

“No,” Hayden says, “and you never wanted to marry me either. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

Liam nods, “Yeah it is. Hayden, I’m sorry. I messed up so much.”

“It doesn’t matter,” She says, smiling as she stands up, “well, as long as you got your head out of your ass and quit denying you’re in love with Theo.”

“ _You knew?!”_

“Honey everyone knew,” she tells him, “neither of you were exactly subtle.”

“Then why go through all of this?” Liam asks, gesturing around vaguely, “why plan a wedding when you had no intention of marrying me?”

Hayden grins, taking Liam’s arm and leading him out of the room, “Because the wedding was never for us.”

Liam’s brow furrows as he lets himself be dragged out into the hall and then down the stairs, “Then who is it for?”

“Oh it’s still for you,” Hayden tells him, “can you really not tell that by looking at the decorations? Lydia and I planned this very carefully.”

“You planned this for me and…?” Liam’s breath hitches when he takes in the wedding cake topper she hands to him. Two men, one slightly taller than the other. “Theo,” he breathes, running a finger across the topper.

“Yes, you and Theo. If you want to, of course,” Hayden says. Liam follows her gaze to where it’s drifted to Theo and Lydia. Theo looks just as shocked as Liam feels. As if sensing his eyes on him Theo’s eyes meet Liam’s, mouth falling open in a mixture of surprise and awe.

Liam’s momentarily speechless. A few hours ago he’d been suppressing his feelings for the chimera and now suddenly he finds out Hayden and Lydia had been planning a wedding for the two of them. He’s surprised to find he’s not that bothered by it. He barely notices when Hayden disappears, eyes focused on Theo as he walks towards Liam.

“So…” Theo stops in front of Liam, hands swinging nervously in front of him. It’s not a gesture common for the chimera, which just shows how surreal this moment is.

“So,” Liam says. They both laugh awkwardly, their eyes not quite meeting. Liam sighs, dragging a hand across the back of his neck, “apparently this wedding is for us.”

Theo’s eyes drift up to meet his, “Apparently so.”

“Are you… okay with that?” Liam wants to smack himself for being so awkward. After everything they’ve been through to get here and he’s back to not being able to string together a single sentence.

“Are you?” Theo asks, stepping closer to Liam, “because I love you Liam. I want to marry you. I don’t care whether that’s today or years from now. Or not at all if you don’t want to do the whole marriage thing. I don’t care as long as we’re together.”

Liam expects to be nervous, to be battling with a storm of conflicted emotions. For once he just feels certain. Liam leans up, kissing Theo slowly. He pulls back with a smile, letting his thumb stroke gently across Theo’s cheek, “I do. I want to marry you.”

Theo’s eyes flick across Liam’s face, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Liam grins, “I’m sure.”

Theo’s answering grin is blinding, “Then let’s get married.”

There’s a squeal from Liam’s right and then they’re both being hugged by Hayden and Lydia. Lydia looks far too proud of herself, “I’m so glad you figured it out. Now come on, we still have so much to do before the ceremony.”

“Like what?” Liam asks, looking around the room, “isn’t it all done?”

Lydia looks scandalized at the thought, “Absolutely not. You two both have to write your vows!”

Liam watches as Theo’s eyes widen, “Write our vows? In such a short amount of time?”

“You’ll be fine,” Jenna says, walking up to the group, “just speak from the heart.”

“Oh and Theo?” Lydia says, “You need to pick your groomsmen and best man.”

“Are you kidding me? You can’t….”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Lydia says, dragging Liam away.

Theo watches them go in amazement. How the hell was he supposed to find anyone to stand up with him on such short notice? Liam has Mason, Corey, and Scott. Theo could always ask…. “Derek!”

Derek jumps slightly, eyes finding Theo’s warily from his spot in the doorway, “Yes?”

“I need to ask you something,” Theo says, running his hands nervously across his thighs. He wants to marry Liam but he’s feeling a little overwhelmed.

He relaxes a bit when he feels Derek’s hand on his shoulder, “What is it?”

“Well Liam and I are getting married,” Theo says, smiling when Derek grins down at him, “and I was just hoping you would stand up with me? As my best man?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You’re the closest thing I have to a best friend besides Liam. If you don’t want to it’s fine…”

“Theo,” Derek says, cutting Theo off, “I’d love to.”

Theo lets out a sigh of relief, “Good. That’s good.”

Now he just has to find two other people. Derek must be thinking the same thing, “Do you have anyone else?”

No,” Theo sighs, “Lydia just sort of sprung this all on me, along with writing my own vows.”

Derek looks outside, face thoughtful. Theo isn’t sure what to think about the grin that takes over his face, “I think I might know some guys.”

That’s how Theo finds himself with a disgruntled Jackson and Isaac as his groomsmen. Stiles just looks amused by the whole situation, dubbing the group the “grump club” much to everyone’s bemusement.

Theo paces around the room, looking down at the paper in his hands. Everything he writes down just sounds forced and cheesy. He finally sighs, crumpling the paper up.

Derek glances over at him, “Giving up?”

“No,” Theo says, “but I’m overthinking it. I’m just going to let the words come to me. Anything else just sounds forced.”

“Whatever you say will be fine Theo,” Derek tells him, “I promise. You could get up there and call him an asshole and Liam wouldn’t care.”

“Yeah you’re probably right,” Theo chuckles, “I still can’t believe this is happening.”

Isaac smirks, “Leave it to Lydia to plan a surprise wedding and not even tell the grooms.”

“She certainly hasn’t lost her touch,” Jackson says.

Theo filters out the conversation the others start up, his mind drifting to Liam. He knows he should be nervous considering he’s getting married in less than an hour but he’s not. He’s happy he’s finally with Liam and that they’re going to be married soon. He’s also lucky to be surrounded by Derek, Stiles, Jackson, Isaac, and Ethan. He can only imagine what Liam is going through right now.

*

Liam stares at his reflection in the mirror as Lydia and Hayden glide around the room. They’re doing last minute touch ups to their hair and makeup, as well as making sure the guys look presentable. At least Liam, Mason, Corey, and Scott. Theo should count himself lucky he’s not being dragged into this. Lydia had said they didn’t need her help, not with Jackson around.

He’s been trying to practice reciting his vows like Lydia told him but it all feels off. He’s starting to think it just won’t happen when there’s a knock on the door. A moment later his Mom is peeking her head in, “Hey guys. Mind if I have a moment with Liam?”

“Of course,” Lydia smiles sweetly at her, ushering the others out of the room.

Jenna steps up behind Liam, putting her hands on his shoulders as she looks at him in the mirror, “Are you nervous?”

Liam’s about to say no, he’s not nervous. But that wouldn’t be completely true. He’s not nervous about marrying Theo necessarily, “Just about my vows. I’m worried I won’t get them right.”

“Oh honey. There is no right or wrong. You two love each other, that’s what matters. Vows are just words. Don’t overthink it. Speak from your heart. The words will come when you need them.”

“Have you met me?” Liam asks, “I’ve never exactly been the best with words.”

Jenna chuckles, placing a kiss to his cheek, “I trust that you’ll find them. And if you can’t just go the traditional route. That’s perfectly acceptable.”

Liam nods, “Do you think Theo would be okay with that?”

“From what I’ve heard he’s struggling just as much,” Jenna says, “most people have months to plan their vows. You two were both put on the spot here. It’s okay to not have anything ready.”

“But Lydia…”

“I can handle Lydia. You just worry about going out there and marrying that handsome man of yours.”

“Yeah okay. I’m ready.”

“Good,” Jenna says, squeezing his shoulders and pulling back, “because it’s time.”

Liam takes a deep breath, giving himself one last glance in the mirror before following his Mom out the door. He stomach is in knots, but more in anticipation than anything. Any nerves he has disappear when he stops at the end of the aisle and sees Theo standing at the other end waiting for him, a wide smile on his face.

It takes everything in him not to run down the aisle to Theo. He hears his Mom chuckle from beside him so he knows he doesn’t walk as slow as he should. He can’t be bothered to care though. Not when he’s so close.

Standing with Theo in front of everyone like this, he can’t believe he ever had any doubts about being with him. Liam sheepishly tells Stiles he wants to do the traditional vows to which Theo lets out a relieved breath. Stiles just rolls his eyes, pulling out a sheet of paper, telling them it’s a good thing he came prepared. He expects it to take forever but before he knows it Stiles is announcing them husband and husband and telling them to kiss.

Theo smiles down at him, putting a hand on the back of Liam’s neck and pulling him close. Liam intended to keep it chaste but the moment Theo’s lips touch his all thoughts leave him. He finds himself throwing his arms around Theo’s neck and deepening the kiss, wanting to be as close as possible.

It’s not until Stiles coughs from behind them and they hear wolf whistles from the audience that they break apart, both sporting sheepish smiles. They spend half an hour greeting their guests as they clear the area so it can be used for the reception. He’d had a moment to wonder how people would feel about coming to the wedding expecting him to marry Hayden only to have him marry Theo. No one seems the least bit surprised.

It’s only when they’re being ushered back outside that Liam realizes something, “We don’t have a first dance song!”

Theo rubs the back of his neck nervously, “Yeah about that, I may have picked one.”

Liam looks up at Theo with wide eyes when the familiar sound of Everything by Lifehouse starts playing. Just the thought of Theo picking this song for their first song has him getting choked up. It only gets worse when Theo pulls him close, the song continuing to play as they sway to the music.

 _You calm the storms and you give me rest_  
_You hold me in your hands_  
_You won't let me fall_  
_You steal my heart and you take my breath away_  
_Would you take me in, take me deeper now_  
_And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you_  
_Would you tell me how could it be any better than this_

“Is this okay?” Theo asks, breath hot against Liam’s ear.

Liam looks up at Theo, offering him a wet smile, “It’s perfect. It’s us.”

“I thought so too,” Theo leans in, placing a lingering kiss to Liam’s lips.

It’s romantic and cliché but Liam can’t deny the truth to it. They’ve both helped each other through their battles with darkness, holding the other up when they needed it. Liam has come to rely on Theo more than anyone else. It used to scare him how much he needs Theo but now he realizes there’s strength in that. Loving Theo makes him stronger, it makes him better. He knows it goes both ways.

The dinner is amazing, of course it is. He’d been suspicious when Hayden had started asking for Theo’s opinions on everything, thinking maybe she just didn’t trust his opinion. Now he understands. The whole time she and Lydia had been planning this to suit him and Theo. He definitely owes the both of them.

After that they cut the cake. Liam tries to threaten Theo out of shoving cake in his face but Theo just grins, rubbing icing all across his lips and chin. Liam gets his revenge, doing the same to Theo. He takes it a step farther, using his thumb to swipe up some of the icing and sucking it off. He can feel Theo’s eyes tracking the movement. He’s a little surprised when Theo leans in and kisses him, licking into his mouth and chasing the taste of the icing.

“Honestly, there are innocent eyes here!” Stiles calls out, causing the two to break apart.

Theo looks around the room before his eyes fall on Stiles, “There aren’t any kids here Stiles.”

“I didn’t say kids. I said innocent eyes. My eyes are innocent and did not need to witness that filth.”

Derek snorts, pulling Stiles into his side, “You’re far from innocent Stiles.”

“He’s right son,” John says, “you tried to give Derek a lap dance at your wedding reception, remember?”

“Well that’s different,” Stiles says, a slight blush spreading across his face. They’d left their wedding reception halfway through, when Derek had all but dragged Stiles out of the room after his impromptu lap dance.

“There will be no lap dances tonight,” Liam says.

Theo chuckles, running his nose along Liam’s jaw up to his ear, “Not in public at least.”

Liam’s eyes widen at the suggestion. He tries to play it off but he can tell he doesn’t do a very good job when he feels Theo grinning against his cheek. He smacks his chest, pulling back slightly. “Behave.”

“Liam, are you and the band still going to play?” Hayden asks, walking up to the pair, “the DJ’s going to take a break soon so I figured that would be a good time to do it.”

Liam nods, “Yeah sure. Just find Mason, Corey, and Malia. I’ll meet you over there.”

Liam turns to Theo when Hayden walks off, hooking his hands around his neck, “Are you going to watch?”

“Of course I am,” Theo grins, “front row.”

“Good,” Liam says, placing a soft kiss to Theo’s lips, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

 

Liam looks out at his friends and family in the audience, his eyes immediately finding Theo in the front of the crowd. He glances at Mason, Corey, and Malia. The three nod and Malia counts them off from her spot behind the drums. Liam smiles as he begins to play, the familiar tune reaching his ears.

He’s surprised when he spots Hayden off to the side with one of her friends from college. Theo two are laughing about something. Then Hayden blushes when the girl moves forward and brushes a stray piece of hair from her face. Looks like Liam isn’t the only one that was interested in someone else.

Liam continues to sing, shooting a wink at Hayden when she looks his way. Then his eyes drift to Theo. He can see grinning up at him and can’t help but grin back.

 _You're the kind of guy_  
_That blows my mind_  
_And now it's my turn_  
_You've been right in front of me_  
_Everything I need_  
_Why didn't I see?_

If anyone would have told Liam a week ago that he’d be standing on stage performing at his wedding reception, married to Theo Raeken, he would have told them they were crazy. He also would have still been in denial and too afraid to go for what he wanted. Now, looking down at Theo, at his _husband_ , he can’t believe he ever had any doubts.

It took him awhile to get to this place, where he can just allow himself to have the things he wants and be happy. He’d let his fear win for so long and it had almost cost him Theo. Theo, his one major constant in his life who had stuck by him even when he had no reason to. He’d always been there just because he loved Liam. Liam was going to make sure he deserved that love and that Theo feels that love returned tenfold. It may have taken a lot of meddling from the people in his life and a body swap to make him see but he got there in the end. Life is weird, but it’s his life. He wouldn’t trade it for anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are at the end. Thanks everyone for reading.  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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